


Melted Away, Like I Was Free

by dawniekins18



Series: Considering Things So Far [5]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-11
Updated: 2015-04-11
Packaged: 2018-03-22 10:26:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3725341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dawniekins18/pseuds/dawniekins18
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ian doesn't break up with Mickey. Things are still shit though.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Melted Away, Like I Was Free

**Author's Note:**

> I actually was 100% behind most of the choices this season concerning Ian -until the very end. I thought it seemed like he'd had a completely different epiphany then one they explore I. I thought he realized having someone love him enough to help him was better than living with a guy cooking meth and selling drugs. Apparently, the writers thought something else....

Mickey runs. As he's running he can't help judge himself a little. How has Ian done this to him? Fucker.

Then he sees him, sitting there. He's not hurt. And it doesn't matter what Ian does to him, as long as he's not hurt, Mickey can take anything. 

"Where were you?"

"With my mom."

"And? Are you back?" 

"Yeah, I'm back."

Mickey feels a wave of relief. immediately followed by annoyance. 

"You can't keep fucking running off like that."

"Sorry."

And Ian does look sorry. Slouched on the porch, dirty and tired. Sad, he always looks sad now.

Mickey moves toward him, and Ian makes space for them to sit shoulder to shoulder.

"You feeling ok?"

"No. But that might be better. My mom was feeling pretty good, and it was fucking trainwreck."

Mickey can only imagine what shit went down with both of them off their medication. But Ian's ok. And he's here. It's gonna be fine.

"She's dealing meth. With this guy.not.p>

"Huh." It could be worse. Meth is a tricky business, but at least it puts food on the table.

"Fucking teenage boyfriend too, who was an asshole."

"He do anything?" Mickey asks with casual disinterest.

Ian sends him a sidelong glance. "You worry too much."

He always sees through him. "I think I worry exactly the right amount."

Ian shrugs, unwilling to linger on anything these days. Unless it's a fucking airport suitcase. "I'm tired."

"Let's go lay down then." Mickey stands up reaching out to help Ian.

"Mickey!"

Oh fuck.

"Is that Sammi?"

Shit.

"Why does she have a gun?"

Jesus.

"Get the fuck inside!" Mickey yells at Ian and hits the ground running. 

Ian just looks confused as he takes off. But then the bitch fires the first shot. 

"What the hell?"

Lucky for him, she can't aim worth shit. 

And she takes no notice of Ian standing there, looking lost.

So much for their nap idea.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

The cops bring Sammi in. Mickey somehow gets a pass. Probably because he's not yelling his fucking head of with a shotgun swinging in his hand. Bitch shot up half the fucking neighborhood.

"You ok?" Ian asks an hour later when he slams into the Gallagher house.

"Yeah, that cunt missed me by a mile."

"You're lucky I wasn't mad at you," Ian says with a half smile.

He still looks tired. He's sprawled out on the couch. He obviously stayed waiting for Mickey. 

It's stuff like that. The flashes that make it clear that this is Ian. His Ian. 

Sure, a year ago Ian would have hit the pavement faster than he had, and they would have outran Sammi together.

Then they would have fucked in some back alley, laughing with the adrenaline. 

Ian can't do that now. Clumsy and slow with the weight of this disease. Changed by it. But he still waits to make sure Mickey is ok. And that's more than anyone's ever done before.

Mickey would lose his mind if any one shot at Ian anyways. So it's probably for the best.

Ian's here. That's all he needs.

"You hungry?"

Ian shrugs. "I guess."

"I got some cash. Let's go get something."

Ian nods and stands slowly. He moves like he's in pain. And he must be. It's just not a pain Mickey can see or touch. But it's there. And it fucking hurts.

They eat shitty pizza, because why not? They don't talk much. Both tired, and focused on the greasy cheese. 

They've both been talked to death. There isn't really much more to say.

They'll survive until they don't. They'll be together 'til they're not. Not much different from the way things have always been.

"Wanna go to my place or yours?"

"Fiona seemed worried."

"Shit- hole de Gallagher it is."

"Your house is crappy too."

"Really? You're calling my beautiful home crappy?"

"I think what I meant to say was fucking hovel of trash." Ian mutters at him with a mischievous smirk.

"Oh really, tough guy?" Mickey slams his shoulder playfully into Ian who lets out a laughing snort. "At least my family isn't in the room when I'm trying to suck your cock."

"That's only because half of your family is in jail. Mine has way less felony convictions."

"Give Carl time."

Ian snorts again and then yawns quietly.

He looks dead on his feet. The walk back feels longer. It's a cold night. Fortunately, Ian has his coat now. Mickey worried about how cold he must have been these past few days without it. 

Because Mickey has now turned into a goddamn mother, sleepless nights and all.

Downstairs is empty, but Mickey can hear Debbie and Fiona talking about something loudly upstairs. 

"Let's go to the kitchen." 

Ian follows compliantly and watches Mickey lay out his nightly medication without a word.

Mickey hands him water and the three pills. Ian stares for a long time. If Mickey was the prayin' kind, he'd be begging every god there was.

"What happens if I just don't take take it?"

"You start slammin' baseball bats at your sister's head and stealing babies." 

"Would you still...would that change us?"

"I love you. I'll watch you dig your fucking grave. Be there 'til the end. I was just hoping we'd have more time." Mickey pauses watching the conflict on Ian's face. "It's your choice. I won't take that from you."

Ian just keeps staring at the pills in his hand.

"They make me miserable."

"You haven't given them a chance to get better." Fiona is suddenly standing with them. Scaring the shit out of Mickey.

"They never worked for Monica."

"That's not true." Fiona reaches out and puts her hand on Ian's arm. "You were just too young to really remember. There were times when she stayed on her medication for months or longer, and she was good. She was never perfect... but she was better. She cared. She took care of us." 

Ian looks up, surprised.

"Why'd she stop?"

"Why do think? Because she's a drug addict, or Frank would fuck things up. Or because she wanted too. I think Monica's problems are way bigger than being Bipolar. But when she tried... things were good."

Ian pauses a moment longer, then downs the pills, gulping the water.

Mickey gulps in the breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

Maybe they can survive a little longer. Take care of each other. Through thick and thin. Good times, bad. Sickness, health. All that shit.

And maybe not. But he'd be fucking stupid not to try.

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't mention the Mickey and the other guy thing mostly because I think it would be irrelevant to both of them at this point. Mickey obviously wants Ian, and Ian doesn't seem very focused on the morality or immorality of cheating. So I kinda left it a unturned stone.


End file.
